Metro News & Reviews

Not much in the way of news to report from Metro headquarters today. As expected, the Metro Board of Directors’ Measure R committee forwarded the draft studies and routes proposed by Metro staff to the full Board of Directors.

The full Board is scheduled to vote on both projects at their Oct. 28 meeting at 9:30 a.m. at Metro headquarters adjacent to Union Station. The meeting, as always, is open to the public.

As for the Regional Connector project, several advocates for downtown L.A. businesses and residents asked that a station at 5th/Flower be studied as part of the final environmental review. Metro staff have said that the station could be cut as a money-saving move.

On the subway project, County Supervisor and Metro Director Mark Ridley-Thomas requested a preliminary report from Metro staff on whether it would be appropriate to launch a feasibility study on transit projects that might make sense in the West Hollywood area.

A subway spur from Hollywood to Beverly Hills through WeHo was studied as part of the Westside Extension project. But staff did not recommend building it, citing lack of current funding and saying that such a line would not meet federal funding requirements.

We need to hope and pray we get those funds the Mayor is pushing so desperately for. Los Angeles would be so easy to get around once we get the Regional Connector built in addition to the Purple Line extension. What a thrill it will be to ride from Long Beach to Pasadena on board one train or from Union Station to UCLA in less then an hour. We must wait and see what surprises we get from Tony these next few weeks…